Blowpipe apparatus



W. L. HERRON. f BLOWPIPE APABATUS. APPLICATION man nEc.2l, 1911.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920. ZSHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. L. HERBON.

y BLOWPIPE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Dic. 21. 1917.

Patented N ov. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 24.

@wle/g4 plant, for example,

WILLIAM LEO HERBON, OF'BBOOKLYN, N EW YORK.v

BLOWPIPE APPARATUS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 21, i917. Serial No. 208,314.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Beit known that LWILLIAM Lno Hannon, a citizen of the United States, residing at 926Prospect Pl. Kings and the Vtate of i ew York, have invented a new and useful Blowpipe Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in blow pipe apparatus for cutting or softening metal by the use of ahigh temperature llame such as is produced, for instance, by an oxygen-acetylene or an oxygenhydrogen jet. l

The object of the invention is to provide a portable apparatus particularly adapted to cut metal plates of 'various thickness with the utmost accuracy and smoothness and with a linish comparable to that now produced by planing machines; but without requiring that the plates should be moved to and positioned upon the bed of a machine. The character of the improved apparatus is such that the plates may be cut or butt-finished in any position just as they come from the punching and shearing machines of the fabricating :department of a shipbuilding the portable apparatus on the plate and traversing the accurately guided blow pipe len hwise of the apparatus to make the cut. p

pparatus has heretofore been proposed having a torch mounted upon a wheeled car.-

riage adapted to travel over the surfaceof the metal to be cut, the carriage being guided by a frame provided with electro-I magnets at its ends by which it may beheld in place upon an iron or steel plate. u

In accordance with the present invention, the blow pipe carriage is carried upon a lathe-like bed or guideway heavy enough to prevent vibration of the blow pipe f and rigidly supported throughout its length by massive pedestals of magnetic material provided with magnetizing vwindings capable of holding the apparatus with thev utmostsecurit in fixed osition on the late to be Y P P cut. By virtue ci' this arrangement the car-- riage may be fitted to the guiding frame with absolute trueness and moved along the l latter with the same accuracy as'the tailstocln, oa lathe. This is important in a machine of this character because the jet ot 1 the blow pipe must be guided with the utmost accurac in order that it may properly perform its work and'produce a cut .tions upon the p ates, as Brookl n, in the county oiA by properly positioning y Y of oxygen and.

which will be so -accurate and smooth that the necessity for erorin' r instance, by planing machines, is eliminated; so that the present apparatus may be used in successful competition with the usual tool cutting and planing machines. The accuracy of the apparatus is not eliminated by the thickness of the plates which are being cut so that it may be used for cutting plates of any of the various manufactured thicknesses. Owing to the Afact that the blow pipe is mounted in a manner to be entirely free from vibration, the sensitiveness of the oxygen jet which attacks the metal may be more accurately controlled, thus further enhancing the precision which may be attained in using the apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of the pres`- ent invention will appear-more clearly from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view .of the entire machine; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is a crosssection oi the machine taken along the lines A-- and B--B of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view of one end of the machine showingone of the combined roller supports and handles by which the machine may be lifted and also moved about on the plate to be cut; Fig; 5 is a cross-section through the machine along the lines C-C of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is en .enlarged view of the tip of the blow pipe or torch, Fig. 7 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale Showing` the mode of attachment of the magnets; ig. 8 is a central longitudinal section along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a diagram of the electrical connections of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, in which simithroughout the several views, at 1 a cutting blow pipe provided with a tip 2 formed with two orifices 3 and 4 througl'i which' the -usual heating and oxygen are supplied to concentrated heat when 1 jets of acetylene produce a highly vcentral orifice 5 from which a cutting jet of oxygen may be emittedto attack the metal ater the latter'li'as been heated by the flame emitted from jets 3 and 4 in the usual way. Suitable valves for controlling the mixture acetylene and the discharge the central orifice are shown of oxygen from The acetylene-and oxygen;

at 6, 7 and-8.

ratentednov. 9, 1920.-

ng further operao ited, and with a which preferably circuit with the motor 13 provides for reguv latin the speed of the latter and hence the s ce of the worm shaft 11. This construction of bed or guideway and power drive lis such as to eliminate all vibration of the blow pipe and all departure thereof from a perfectly true line. The bed or guideway 10 is rigidly supported throughout its length by the massive iron or steel pedestals, wound with magnetizing coils 1G te 'form loi-polar electromagnets, the cores of which should be laminated.

The manner in which the magnets are attached to bed 10 is shown most clearly in Figsn 7 and z5. A non-magnetic member 31 is attached to the top of the pole-pieces 32 have the shape shown. The nonemagnetic members are attached to transverse supports 3.3 extending between the longitudinal members of the bed. T here is thus formed between each magnet and the bed a non-magnetic connection 'which prevents leakage of the magnetic fluir through the adjacent portions of the bed with consequent lessening of the strength of the magnet. lt will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to magnets having the particular shape shown and being attached to the bed in the manner described, provided they are sufficiently massive to afford a firm support for the apparatus.`

Current for the motor 13 and the electromagnets 16 is supplied from a cable 2.0 running to any suitable source, the circult connections being shown most clearly in Fig. 9. The conductors of the cable are branched into two pairs, one of which leads to a snap switch 12 mounted at any convenient point of the bed, or preferably on oneof the magnets, and then to the windings of the magnets which are connected in series witlreach 'to the jet 5, the arrangement being such that when the oxgen val-ve is open, the switch is closed, and when the valve is closed,the switch is open.

In order to permit the, apparatus to be moved easily over the surface of the plate to be cut and to be setaccurately upon the plate, handles 17 are pivota'lly attached -to the end of. the frame and are formed ,with

downwardly extending legs, between the lower ends of which rollers 18 are mounted. Small springs 30 normally holdthe rollers above the surface of the late,butl if the handles are elevated, the ro lers are brought into contact with the plate and the entire apparatus may be rolled easily over the surface lof the plate into any desired position. rl`he handles likewise serve for carrying the apparatus from place to place and also act as levers by which the apparatus may be pried from a plate after the electromagnets have been denergized, therebv overcoming' the e'ect of the residual magnetism in their cores.

The blow pipe should be arranged so that it may be raised or lowered on its carriage 9, and for this purpose it is slidably mounted in a frame and is provided with a rack 26 engaged by a pinion 25 having an operating wheel 21. rlhe frame `is pivotally attached to the blow pipe carriage as at 27 to permit the blow pipe to be tilted for the purpose of being cleaned. A pin 28 is provided to hold the blowpipe locked yin its vertical position. The blow pipe carriage is provided with a member having teeth 24: which are normally held in engagement with the worm shaft 11 by a spring 29, but may be lifted out of engagement by a thumb lever 23 to permit the blow pipe carriage to be moved independently of the worm '-shaft.

ln the use of the machine described above, a line is first markedi, on the surface of the plate which is to becut, and the guiding frame ofthe machine is set parallel to this line, accurate setting of the machine being facilitated by raising the handles 17 so that the weight of the apparatus may be carried on the rollers 18. When the machine is properly set, the handles are depressed to lowerthe machine into place on the plate. Switch 12 is then closed to allow current to pass through the coils of the electromagnets 16 to energize them. These electromagnets will then hold the entire machine securely on the surface to be cut, thereby providing a ri id support and guideway free from vibration and displacement during movement of the blow pipe carriage along the same.

By means of the rack and pinion 26 and 25, the blow pipe may be ad]usted so that lts tip is at the proper distance from the surface of the plate, this distance being in general about one-eighth of an inch. Upon ignition, the heat generated by these gases, amountin to some five thousand degrees Fahrenhe1t, heats the steel to a red heat.'

When the steel is in this conditie-n, the valve8 controlling the emission of oxygen from the central orifice 5 of the tip 2 is opened. The oxy en then attacks the steel, forcing its way t ough the metal by its burning action and highpressure. Manipulation of the valve 8 simultaneously closes the switch 22, thus allowing current to iiow through the motor 13 which then moves the blow pipe carriage 9 along the bed or guideway 10. The blow pipe will thus be moved at uniform speed, and on account of thev mechanical construction of the ap aratus,

there will be entire freedom from vibration ce 5 and stop the cutting action. Simultaneously the switch 22 governing the motor is opened, thereby discontinuing the flow of current through the latter and allowingfthe blow pipe carriage to come to rest. flifuiring the cutting operation, the forwardftravel of the' blow pipe may be controlled by' the rheostat l5 in the motor circuit, this speed being adjusted for the thickness of the metal that is to be cut. 4

The blow pipe carriage 9-may be conveniently returned to its original starting point in readiness for another cutting operation A by pressing the thumb lever 23 which raises the intermeshing' teeth 24 from the worm shaft 1l, thus allowing the blow pipe carriage to be pushed along the guideway to its initial position. As soon as one cut has been taken, the switch 1 2 is opened to denergize the electromagnets 16 s0 that the machines may be lifted upon the rollers 18 and moved into a new position on the plate for the next cutting operation.

It will be understood that various cli/anges may be made in the details of construction of the apparatus without departing from the principle of the invention, and that whenever I use the term blow pipe apparatus l .in the 'appended claims, I intend it to include ahy form-of apparatus for producing by means of a jet of burning gasesma high temperature which may be used for batting, welding or other work.

I am aware that previous to my invention oxygen-acetylene-steel cutting machines have been made with blowpipe apparatus in con junction with an electric motor 'driven means of propulsion. I do not therefore claim such a combination broadly; but

I claim: r

l. In a blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a guiding bed constituting the main frame of the apparatus, electromagnets associated with the bed for securing it tothe surface of magnetizable metal to be cut, a torch carnage supported solely upon. the bed, and means for propelling the carriage along the bed.l

2. In a blow pipe apparatus for the purose described, the combination of a guidmg bed constituting the vmain frame ofthe apparatus and provided with guide-ways, electromagnets associated with the bed for securing it to the'surface of magnetizable metal to be cut, a torch carriage supported entirely upon the bed in closely fitting slidling engagement with the guide-ways, a

mounted on electromagnets as a means' for securing it'to the surface of magnetizable metal to be cut and having guiding surfaces, a worm shaft tted between the 'said guidingsurfaces, a torch carriage carried upon said guiding bed and shaped to engage the guiding surfaces, means for rotatmg said worm shaft to propel the carriage along the gdiding bed, and a disengageable driving connectionbetween the carriage and the worm shaft whereby the carriage may be freed from the worm shaft and shifted from place to place on the guiding bed.

4. In a blowpipe ap arat'us for the purpose described,the combination of a pair of electromagnets, a guiding frame mounted thereon, a torch carriage carried .upon said frame, means for propelling said carriage along the frame, and a pair of combined.

. the rollers will be brought into contact with the surface on which the machine rests.

5; In a blowpipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a pair of electromagnets, a guiding frame mounted thereon, a torch carriage carried upon said 'ame, means for propelling said carriage along the frame, a pair of combined handles and roller supports pivoted to the machine 'so that when the handles are lifted 'the rollers will be brought into contact with the surface on which the machine rests, and

ics

springs fitted between the bed and the handles to maintain the handles depressed and the roller supports out of contact with the surface on which the apparatus rests.

6. In a blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a guiding bed constituting the main frame of the apparatus and mounted on'electromagnets as a means for securing it to the surface of magnetizable metal to be cut, a worm shaft on'saidV guiding bed for propelling a torch carriage, and a torch carriage carried upon said guiding-bed and carrying an adjustable blow ipe.V 1

7. n a blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a guiding bed constituting the Vmain frame of the apparatus, electromagnets, associated with electric motor mounted on the under side of said guiding bed', belt and pulley connections between said motor and said worm shaft, and a torch carriage slidably mounted on the bed and adapted to be adjusted in position thereon by said worm shaft, said torch carriage being formed with arms for holding a torch for heating the metal.

9. The combination of a self-contained, portable and mechanically operated blow7 pipe a parat'us for the urpose described, of a longitudinally exten ed guiding bed constituting the main frame or standard of the machine, electromagnets uponwhich the bed is mounted and constituting means for securing it to the surface of magnetizable metal to be cut, tl-shaped. uiding surfaces on said bed, a worm shaft ftted between the guiding surfaces, a torch carriage fitted to movealong the bed and shaped to engage the guiding surfaces, means for disengageably connecting the torch carriage with the worm shaft whereby the carriage vand shaft may be disconnected to permit the movement of the carriage from place to place on the bed, a pair of combined handles and roller supports pivoted to the extremities of the bed, a pair of springs fitted between the bed and v the handles to maintain the handles depressed and the roller supports out of contact with the surface on which the apparatus rests, an electric motor attached to the guiding bed for driving the worm shaft, and means for regulatin thel speed of the electric motor also attac ed to the uiding bed.

10. ln blow pipe apparatus or the purpose described, the combination of a heavy elongated machine bed havin guideway, a torch carriage vcarried upon said guideway, driving gear for the carriage, and a plurality of massive supportin edestals spaced lengthwise of the bed an s aped to afford a firm support for the apparatus on the surface of the metal to be cut, whereby the torch is accurately guided without vibration or displacement to make a smooth straight cut.

1l. ln blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a heavy which the machine rests.

a carriage e Laatse elongated machine bed having a clarriage guideway, a torch carriage carried u on said guideway in closely'itting sliding ngagement therewith, driving gear for the carriage, and a plurality of massive supporting pedestals spaced lengthwise of the bed and shaped to afford a 4firm support for the apparatus on the surface of the metal to be cut, and means for magnetizin the pedestal's to fix the apparatus immova ly in place, whereby the torch is accurately guided without vibration or displacement to make a smooth straight cut.

12. ln blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a heavy elongated machine bed having a carria e guideway, atorch carriage carried upon said guideway in closely fitting sliding engagement therewith, driving gear inc uding an electric motor for the carriage,and a plurality of massive supporting pedestals spaced lengthwise of the bed and shaped to afford a firm support for the apparatus on the surface of the metal to be cut, means for magnetizing the pedestals to fix the apparatus immovably in place, and mechanism mounted on the bed for controlling the speed of the electric rnotor.

13. ln blow pipe apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a heavy elongated machine bed having a carriage guideway, aftorch carrie e carried upon said guideway in closely fitting sliding engagement therewith, driving gear for the carriave,

shaped to afford a firm support for the apand a pair of combined handles and roller supports pivoted. to the machine so that when the ,handles are lifted the rollers will be brought into contact with the surface on 14'. lfn blow pipe vapparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a heavy elongated machine bed having a carriage guideway, atorch carriage carried upon said guideway in closely fitting sliding engagement therewith, driving gear for the carriage, av pluralit ofv massive supporting pedestals spaced engthwise of the bed and shaped to afford a firm support for the apf paratus on the surface of the metal to be cut, means for magnetizing the pedestals to iix theapparatus immovably in lace, and a pair of combined handles and rol er supports pivoted to the machine so thatwhen the handles are lifted the rollers will be brought into contact with the surface on which the machine rests. l f

The above claims substantiall described.

WLLIAM LEO H BRON.

a plurality of massive supporting' Vpcd-estais spaced lengthwise of the bed and 

